Switch plug



Dec. 18', 1923.

- J. B. DOWNING SWITCH PLUG Filed Oct. 10 1921 lNVENTOR W I 50 body at the plug Patented Dec. l8, 1923?.

insures sraras rare Ni -iosr ce.

JOHN B. nowNrNe, or NEWARK, NEW-rhesus, AssreNoaro BEAVER MACHINE r001. coMrANY, or NEWARK, NEW JERsnY, A CORPORATION on NEW JERSEY.

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\ Application liled'october 10, 1921. Serial No. 506,784.

7 To all whom it may concem l Be it known that I, JoHN B.,DowN1Nc,'- a citizen of the United" States,,residin at in the county of Essek"'and tate have invented an Improve- [adapted to receive tional configuration sothat the Newark, oi New Jersey,

ment in Switch Plugs,

of which the followg is a Specification This invention relates'to a switch plug particularly adapted for use in connection with electric sadirons, although of course,

as will be understood, itis [not limited to this particular use. -Heretofore,- so far as I am aware, in the useof-plugsjfor connectan electric circuit, various ing sadirons in vforms of difliculties have been, experienced. Among these no -provision has been made in the plug or adjacent the iron for making and breaking of the plug at a wall or place of connection or of opening a switch at some distant point. Then aga n ,while it has been customary to employ a helical guard wire spring to protect the lead wires 2 as the same enter the plug these have usually been clamped in position in a more or less unsatisfactory manner so as to readily work loose and get out of place; and still furthermore the lead wires as connected to 0 the terminals in plugs of this type are so threaded in the plug as to lead directly to the terminal and to cause the pull on. the

lead wire in the use of the iron to betransmitted directly to the terminal connection. 1 of the lead wire; in other forms of plugsthe plug socket connections have usually been made to receive a particular type of terminal made on the iron for which the plug is designed for use so that the plugs are not adapted for-use with any iron ex cept the one intended. The objects of my invention are to overcome these difficulties and in so doing provide aplug in which a switch is directly embodied in the casing 4 of the plug to enable the operator to make and break-the current at the plug. I also employ a helically coiled spring guard with a flared end adapted to be receivedin a recess provided therefor in the parts of the 5 therefor1n the plugbefore being attached the electric circuit there- I through and this has necessitated the pulling. lamp socket or other so as to be securely fasto the, terminals'so'that the pull necessarilyexerted on the lead .wires in the use of thefiplug is not conveyed directly to the terminal andthe plug terminals are so eonstructed, as hereinafter described, as to be plugs of any cross secswitch plug mayfbe universally usedthat is, is adapted for use wlth any "form of electric sadiron. In the drawing: v I Fig. 1-is a plan of the base of the plug therein. I v

Fig. 2 is a similar plan with the switch member and one of thelead terminals and plug terminalsremoved. I

"with-the operative parts shown inpositlon Fig. 3 is a plan of the reverse side of the v switch device showing the manner in whic one of the lead terminals. and one of the plug terminals is connected thereto.

Fig. 4 is a plan of the switch plug with the parts assembled.

Fig. '5 ."s aside view and partial cross section illustrating the construction of the plug terminals, and

-Fig.' 6 is a sideelevation of the switch device and the parts associated-therewith.

Referring to the drawing my improved switch plug includes a casing which is made of any suitableinsulating material and is preferably divided longitudinally so as to irclude a base 10 and a cover 11 therefor. These parts of the casing'may be connected by screws 12 and13 passing therethrough or'otherwise. In the base 10 there is a re cess 14: adapted to receivea switch block 15 WlllCll,Wll'.ll the switch mechanism mounted tion of the switches shown because othertormscf'switch may be employed without departing from the nature and spiritv of the invention. As illustrated, however, the

switch mechanism includes a bridge 16 which is secured to the base block 15 by rivets 17 or otherwiseand an oscillating member 18 together with a reciprocating member 19.

To the reciprocating member 19 there are connected buttons 20 and 21- by which the reciprocating "member is operated so'that" through the resilient member 22the reciproeating member operates the oscillating memtie her in order to make and break an electricv circuit. In the position shown in F1 1, the

parts are in the broken circuit position and when'swu'ng to the opposite position the os cillating member 18 bearsagainst contacts 23 and 24 suitably secured in the base block 15 of the switch to close the circuit.

' One of the lead wire terminals is indicated at 25. This, when the parts are in position, is adapted to have one end thereof lie within a recess 26 on the under side of the switch base block and 'is connected by a rivet 27 or otherwise to the contact 23. At its opposite.

or free end this lead wire terminal is provided with a screw 28 by which the end of the lead wire may he s c'urely connected thereto. One of the plug terminals is indi-' cated at 29. This is adapted at one end to lie within a recess provided therefor'in the under surface of the switch base block as indicated at 30 and is preferably connected by a rivet 31 or otherwise to the contact 24. Connected to the socket terminal 29 is one of the plug sockets. Each of these comprises an obverse member and a reverse member. The obverse member is indicated at 32 and the reverse member at 33. The inner end of the reverse member 33 is provided with flanges 34 between which is received the end of the socket terminal 29 and also the corre-- sponding end of the obverse member 32, these parts being then connected by a screw 35, the end of which is up set as indicated at 36 to securely and these parts in this osition.

Together with t e recess 14 provided-in the base for the switch block there. are recesses 37 and 38 to receive the lead terminal 25 and the binding screw 28. In the base 10 there are also recesses 39, 40 and 41 to receive respectively the screw 35, the tongue out from the reverse member, as hereinafter described, and the end of the reverse memher when moved to receive a terminal as is also hereinafter described. 1

' The parts herein before described include the switch mechanism at which an electric circuit maybe made and broken between one lead terminal and the plug socket connected thereto. The device also includes a second leadterminal for the other lead wire and a second olug socket for the other ter.

minal of the iron or other apparatus with 'struction when a.

permanently connect the switch plug is to be used. The

member being also similarly formed to re-.

ceive the second plug socket, the recesses having the tapered faces being indicated at '45 and the recess. to receive the end of a plug socket at 46, the" recess 45 corresponding with the recess 40 and the recess 46 to. the

recess 41.

As clearly indicated in the drawing both the obverse and reverse members of both of.

formed with a spring the plug sockets are tongue 47 in the angular portion and extending-longitudinally thereof.- As shown I in Fig. 5. the outer portions of the obverse and reverse members of each of the plug sockets are normally in contact with each other and 'these parts are appreciably spread between these points of contact and the con-.

nections between the same and the socket terminals, while the spring tongues 47 lie in the recesses 40 and 45, it being understood that there are similar recesses formed in the cover for the other parts,'that is the obverse members of the plug sockets. By this conplug is inserted in the plug socketthe parts thereof yieldingly spread to form a frictional engagement with the plug and are at position relatively to the recesses provided therefor by the springtongues 47, it being understood, of course, that the membersof the plug socket are turned to their normal positions" by the resiliency thereof when the plugs are removed therefrom.

The base 10.at one end thereof is provided with a semi-circular recess 48 ter-' minatin in a groove'49, and thecover is provide with a similar and corresponding recess and tively the guard spring 50 and the flared end 51 thereof sothat when the parts of the plug switchar connected the flared end 51 fitting within the groove 49 securely maintains the guard .spring 50 in position makout separating the parts of the switch or breaking either switch part or the'guard spring. As; will be understood the lead wires are passed through the flared sprin which protects fthe same and'are carrie,

respectively and connected to the lead terminals 25 and 42, being carried through recesses 52 and 53 and caused to abut against shoulders 54 and 55 which act as abutments or anchoragesto prevent-the strain necessarily applied to these lead wires from being communicated directly to the bindingscrews 28 and 43 by which they are connected to the lead terminals-'25 and 42.

. It will now be apparent that the parts of the switch mechanism and the plug socket connected therewith, as'well as the other plug 'socket'and its lead terminal, may be separately removedfrom the casing so as to connect the lead .wires thereto, and when thus connected the lead terminal 42 and the all times'-maintained' in goo groove adapted to receiverespec 1 mg it impossible to remove the same withcasing,

essee? plug s ocket associated therewith may be readilyplaced in position in the base, then the switch device with its lead terminal and plug socket may be placed in position in the base and. the cover applied and secured in position by the connecting screws 12 and 13 or otherwise when the switch plug will be ready for use.

I claim as my invention: I

l. A switch plug comprising a casing, a unit removable from the casing including a switch, a lead wireterminal and a plug socket, and. a second unit also removable as such from the casing including a second lead Wire terminal, a second plug socket and a conductor connecting the'said second lead wire terminal and second plug socket.

2. A switch plug comprising a divided a unit including a switch, a lead wire terminal and a plug socket adapted to 'be received in recesses provided in the casing and to be removable as a unit therefrom, and a second unit including a second lead Wire terminal, a second plug socket and a conductor connecting the said second lead wire terminal and second plug socket which are also adapted to be' received in recesses provided therefor in the said casing and are -.removable therefrom as a unit.

, tudinally divided casing, switch, a lead wire ,terminal connected to 3; A switch plug comprislng a longione terminal of the switch, a plug socket i connected to the other terminal of the I being a unit including a switch, the-said parts comprising the unit 'vided therefor in the said casing and to be removable therefrom as such, and a second a plug socket connected to the other switchthe switch terminal, the said switch base, mounted thereon, the lead WlI'G- terminal and the plug socket forming a unit which is adapted to be received in recesses provided therefor in the casing and to 'be otherwise unconnected with the casing, a second lead wire terminal, a second plug socket, and a conductor connecting the said second lead wire terminal and plug socket, which parts form a second unit adapted to be received and maintained in recesses provided therefor 1n the,cas1ng and otherwise unconnected with the casing and removable therefrom as a unit.

Signed by me this 30th day of Sept,

' JOHN B. DOWNING.

adapted to be received in recesses prov a conductor cona switch base, a 

